A working mother, Stacey Armato, who is a lawyer, have been flying with a supply of breast milk with her for her baby, it wasn’t a problem before until one event where a TSA agent was unaware of regulations regarding breast milk. Stacey was stopped during the screening process and the TSA agents insisted they needed to screen her breast milk. Understandably Stacey thought that was not necessary and ask them what does regulation stipulate, after 30 minutes of arguing with a supervisor he let her leave.

Stacey called the TSA to learn about what’s regulation for travelling with breast milk and filed a complaint against the agents and their supervisor. One week later she travelled the same route, once again with her breast milk, but this time with a printout of the regulations regarding breast milk after she was advised by TSA to keep it handy and show it to the agents if there are complications in the screening process. Most would think it would be easy from there, she is prepared, she is following the rules but Stacey Armato ends up being held for almost a hour in a glass box. Here is her account:

As my items come through security this time, I notice immediately that I was dealing with the same people from the week before. The woman tells me right away that my milk might have to go through the x-ray, and then I tell her I printed the rules. I go to grab the rules on top of my bag and she freaks out and pushes my arm away. Another guy comes over and calls for “back up” and they put in me back in the glass cage. Standing 50 ft away are the same manager and supervisor I had dealt with the previous week.

They will stall for 20 minutes before coming over to me.

Meanwhile, one of the guys comes over to me and tells me “to be quiet if I know what’s good for me.” At the end of this portion I have been locked up for just under 10 minutes. The whole ordeal takes just under 1 hour.

….

My patience wears thin and I start crying. It is hard to see on this video, but real tears wouldn’t stop streaming down my face. About 10 minutes into all this, a Phoenix PD comes to calm me down. I explain to him that there is no reason I should be treated this way and I have every right to be upset.

He then says “they” (aka TSA) saw me coming, have it out for me (from my complaint against TSA the week before when they didn’t know the breast milk rules then either), and I should travel out of a different gate in future weeks.

He said TSA wants me to play along with their horse and pony show and if I don’t then TSA can have the Phoenix PD arrest me! Well, I wanted to get home to my baby and my flight was 30 minutes from departure so I ‘played along.’ Three Phoenix PD watched in the background…I could tell they all knew this was a waste of their time but I was happy to have them standing by in case TSA continued to act out of line.

One police officer actually came up to me later during my second screening asking if I was okay and if he could let anyone in my party know I was going to be late. A class act compared to the TSA actions.

Here is the part that really is shocking:

I then begged him to read the TSA rules I had printed out. He read the first form which stated that medical liquids can have alternate screening (no x-ray). He was quick to say “well this isn’t a medical liquid!” So I had him read the second form which says breast milk is to be treated like a medical liquid. He then says, “well, not today.” I started balling all over again once he said that.

The Agents was truly spiteful and made up rules just to get back at her. This is proof that giving people to much power will go to their heads. These ‘agents’ think they are above everyone and that they can do as they please, even the police won’t intervene and even normal authorities cannot do what these agents are allowed to do. Because of the TSA’s actions Stacey Armato missed her flight and was late arriving home to her baby.

Stacey Armato has stated that she will not let this rest as there are many travelling mothers like herself and she wants to stop the harassment of these women. Stacey has a compiled video of CTV footage of that days events to show what happened.